Winter Workshop 2012: Class Descriptions
David Bacharach
| Creating Surface Texture Through Weaving
Using simplified weaving as well as basic metal smithing techniques including brazing, students will emply narrow strips of sheet metal and wire to weave, plait and knot metal to create textured sheet. From this sheet, students will create brooches, cuffs and earrings, including learning the techniques used in the "Crazy Legs" brooch featured in Jewelry Artist. While using David's specially formulated brazing rod and high heat of The Little Torch, students will learn to overcome the pitfalls of oxidation when working with copper to successfully braze it to other metals -- while achieving rich patina from the heat as it reacts to different metals. |
Marilynn Nicholson
| Five Rings: 5 Ways/5 Days
Rings are small pieces of sculpture with specific requirements involving sizing, planning designs and methods of construction. Each morning a different type of ring will be demonstrated including bands, U-shaped, H-shaped, T-shaped, hollow forms, cut outs and other contemporary and traditional methods used to encircle the finger. Stones will be set in plain bezels, irregular shaped bezels, tube settings, channel settings, tension settings, prongs, and with rivets. Constructing rings is fun and relatively fast. Each type presents a challenge in design and construction while making the designer aware of making the ring fit and flatter the wearer. Start collecting stones, beads, found objects and ideas to bring with you. |
Victoria Lansford  | High Relief Eastern Repousse Learn the high relief hammered techniques of chasing and repousse used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Celts, and which is little-known in the West. Participants will create at least four pieces suitable for pins or pendants while learning the secrets of achieving exquisite detail and unsurpassed depth. Participants will also be able to investigate how to create multiple levels of relief, explore repousse with alternative materials, such as mokume gane and bi-metal, and learn about complex repousse works such as cuff bracelets and rings. No tool making required! Victoria will provide sets of tools for use during the workshop that were Swiss machine replicated from her own. She will also provide information on tool-making for students interested, but the majority of class time will be devoted to doing repousse. |
Mary Lee Hu  | Fiber Techniques in Metal: Working with Wire This five day workshop will give participants a look at a number of the many ways one can use round wire in processes borrowed from the fields of basketry and fibers - twisting, wrapping, looping, knitting and complex braiding to make textured line, and knitting, soumak, weaving and twining to create a flat shape or hollow form. Participants will have the opportunity to make samples of the processes demonstrated, selecting the ones they see fitting well with their own work and working methods to develop one or more of these into a finished project. |
Peg Fetter | Essentials of Steel Jewelry This class will primarily focus on techniques to combine ferrous and non-ferrous metals. These two metals do not like to be soldered at all, so it takes some patience and practice. Soldering steel to steel, steel to non-ferrous metals, setting steel as one would a stone, as well as other cold connections will be explored. Some light forging will be done with a torch as well as cold forging. Good problem-solving techniques in design and engineering and the application of these new techniques to each student's individual design aesthetic will be developed. In addition, the importance of customizing most hand tools such as bench pins, pliers, hammers, etc., will be explained and demonstrated. Special safety issues of working in steel will be throroughly covered. Students of any level are welcome as long as they have basic metalworking skills including competence in soldering. |
